Diyar-e Dil ~ Episode 31 Review

In other words quit wasting grey cells worrying about the what the whats and focus only on happenings in the present. Diyar-e Dil is nothing if not about right here and right now.

Given the serial is about to end, I am returning to Diyar-e Dil with my dimagh ki batti gul and trying my hardest to focus only on the aaj ka sabaq of meem se mitti pao. Let’s forget that it wasn’t really Ruhi who wronged Arjumand all those years ago, forget that Behroze and Suhaib were never as doodh ke dhule as they are being made out, overlook the minor detail that Fara hadn’t come to the haveli of her own violation, and ignore Wali’s cave-man tactics as an aberration and remember only his hero-giri. Sab kuch bhool jao sirf aaj ki baat karo.

Am happy to forgive and forget, but, but… what to do of those confusing forget-the-past-but-remember-the-dead-24/7, type mixed messages conveyed in pretty much every episode?? For characters that are supposedly dead why is it that we’ve seen and heard more of Behroze and Suhaib than the very much alive Wali?

Why remind us of Behroze imploring Ruhi to accept Wali as her son-in-law, without also acknowledging the fact that Ruhi’s ire stemmed from the fact that she had not been consulted about this decision? The long-winded apology from a roti dhoti Ruhi must’ve pleased many, but when juxtaposed against all that had gone on before it made very little sense. Yes, agreed Ruhi is no angel, but to be fair to her, Agha jaan and apne dearly departed Behroze bhaiya did play a part in how she got to this point.

Arjumand’s plea to Wali, to not ask her to be a farishta, was very heartfelt and beautifully executed, kudos to Haseeb, Hareem and Osman, but again this scene holds weight in just that moment. Arjumand’s problems have little to do with Ruhi and Fara, rooted as they in her complicated past with Behroze, one she seemed to have whitewashed while playing happy houses with Suhaib. Ruhi and Fara have never really done her any wrongpersonally so why blame the pair for her miseries?

What Agha jan did so many years ago was wrong and there is no disagreement that in the final analysis it is Arjumand who has suffered the most. It would, therefore, seem logical that she would be the first one to ensure that history does not repeat itself. But no, this is not how things unfold here.

This is Diyar-e Dil where ulta is the new seedha and we see Arjumand doing now what Agha jan had done then. Willfully ignoring Wali’s feelings and turning a blind eye to Fara’s unsaid apologies she’s been continuously telling her son to send Fara home. I get Arjumand’s hurt and bitterness, but isn’t her anger misdirected? Rather than taking out her frustration idhar udhar, why not go straight to Agha jan and straighten out her hisab kitab with him? After all isn’t his dil se kiya hua faisla responsible for all her woes?

Thirty one episodes in, Diyar-e Dil is nothing like the nuanced novella on which the serial is ostensibly based, overflowing as it is with repetitions and reiterations, inane lines, duniya bhar ke cliches, and a patent attempt to add in every supposed TRP hook. There are sweet and warm moments that stand out but overall this one has fallen short of the mark.

Shortcomings of the script and an over-stretched, melodramatic narrative, however, should not take credit away from the director and his actors who have put in a ton of effort to make this whole circa 70’s Lollywood good-vs- evil story work as much as it does. Abid Ali is brilliant. No matter how long-winded his monologues or how inane the lines, he makes them all work, even when Agha jan is directly contradicting what he’d said in earlier episodes. Among the younger actors, Osman Khalid Butt owns Wali. When the serial began not many had thought he would make a good Wali, but all doubts have now been put to rest. There are fleeting moments though where he appears to overthink and comes off as awkward/stiff, but he and and Abid sahab are the two reasons I continue to watch this serial, and that theirs are the only characters with a somewhat logical arc of sorts.

Sanam Saeed has tried hard to tap into her vulnerable side but her Ruhi is so starkly written that all falls flat, and quite badly at that. Hareem Farooq does well as Arjumand, but again like Ruhi, she too represents a lost opportunity. When the serial began I had hopes from these two characters, rife as they were with possibilities, but sadly other than a flicker or two of interest all nuances went unexplored and we ended up with characters that were pretty much DOA.

Fara’s was another character that held a lot of promise on paper but never really came into its own, aansoo bund hotey tau kuch karne aur kehney ka mauqa milta bechari ko. Maya Ali is good whenever she’s pushed out of her comfort zone, and we’ve seen good bits here and there but generally Fara has failed to make an impression. Of the others, Mariyam Nafees is the one actress I would like to see more of in the future, and my annoyance with his character’s 180° turn notwithstanding, Ahmed Zeb has played Moiz well.

For a serial that started off promising so much Diyare-e Dil is yet to deliver. Will the last couple(?) of episodes do the trick? Will the much awaited Wali and Fara scenes, if they ever air, compel us to bhool jao the guzra hua kal and remember only that jo aaj hai?

Finally SZ you’ve written it all! These all were exactly my thoughts as I watched this episode.

I think it was a crass mistake to have given so much air time to the second generation’s story: we could have done just as well without it or at least shown only flashes of it. This additional part of the story has only given me more and more eyebrow-raising moments. Seriously, it has contributed nothing to the story.

And don’t get me started on Arjumand…

I was wondering last night why she blames Ruhi and Faara for everything. Seriously, it was her own parents and Agha Jaan who pushed her into a marriage she didn’t want. She didn’t give any Qurbanis for Ruhi. It was Behroze who ditched her. And if she was so unwilling to forgive and forget, why did she agree to Wali’s marriage with Faara when Behroze asked her? Ussi waqt mana kar deti. Ab woh conveniently bhool gayee keh Suhaib wanted this why was why she agreed – as you said SZ, live in the present & forget the past.

I agree Ruhi owes her an apology for that one snide comment she threw at her. But apart from that, why should even Faara apologize to her Chachi? If she was rude to Wali, she has already apologized to him.

Oh and whatever happened after Moiz fired on Wali? I am guessing the police came? This serial has had some really amateur editors who cannot figure out which scene to trim and which scene to retain. The Ruhi-Agha Jaan convo went on forever and the episode ended at an abrupt note. Magar kya kahein? Hum TV has really botched up what could’ve been a beautiful serial. I think they should hire a professional screenplay writer & editor to adapt Farhat Ishtiaq’s novels for TV. It’s very clear she cannot write for TV and is destroying her own novels.

@DB: Bas, it just got to a point where it became really difficult to not vent about my frustrations with all that could’ve and should’ve been… DeD is truly a wasted opportunity!

I totally agree with you in that they should’ve picked one generation and stuck to it rather than this mish mash which is neither here nor there.

On apologies, while everybody is waiting on everybody else’ apologies, why isn’t Fara expecting one of Wali? Surely he owes her a big one! And yes, that AJ Ruhi scene went on forever and ever. As that scene was going on and on all I could wonder was how many more days would Ruhi wear the same saree? If I’m not wrong this was day three, no?

Haha!! Exactly! I too was wondering about when did the whole police thaana business happen; I wouldn’t have questioned anything had they not showed us the details of Wali going door to door with the police at his side last week. Also, from the angle of the shot it seemed like Wali got grazed above the elbow, but the patti was below the elbow and there were no scratches or bruises on his face, his sweatshirt showed absolutely no sign of any daagh dhabbas, tears, etc…And then with all the meds and stuff our hero sahab had absolutely no issues driving back to Skardu, and then wahan par bhi he hung around to tuck in his grandfather and finally us ke baad jaa kar the poor guy got to go to bed .. #Whattayhero!

How many more episodes do you figure? Before this ep aired I thought 33 eps would do it, but now I wonder if 35 is the new goal …

Haha @SZ I don’t think even Faara is expecting an apology from Wali. He does owe her one I agree but we two (and some of your blog readers) may be the only ones who think so. Everyone else is too gaga over it.

And speaking of Ruhi’s sari, what to say about Faara’s blue kurti and white shawl that she’s been wearing for ages, which looks as clean as ever (even though it’s been all over the construction site) and which she didn’t even bother to change in the morning… Lagta hai director sahab jaldi jaldi scenes shoot karna chah rahay thay.

Haha agree with you re Wali… I did wonder why they needed to even show the shot sequence. Goli miss hojati. We wouldn’t have wondered so much about driving back without missing a beat.

I think two more episodes to go… One dedicated to Arjumand and the other (hopefully) to Wali and Faara’s reconciliation. It seems they have cut out some of the really beautiful scenes from the novel… Sigh

Oh haan, Fara too was in the same outfit the next day. Waisey after watching this saga for 30 plus weeks I have come to conclude that Wali is the only safai pasand person in the entire khandan .. socho, he even pauses to clean his hands with Purell after walking out of the doctor’s office!

Ok so if its two more, and an entire ep dedicated to Arju and her issues then I wonder how they’ll fit in all the promos waley Wali-Fara scenes in one episode? They showed a snow scene in a promo for this week but didnt air it. Waisey isnt this so unfair to all the Wali-Fara shippers who’ve been waiting for over six months to see romance blossoming between this couple; the serial was heavily promoted with their scenes and ab all they’ll get is 1 or at best 1.5 eps of them …

I have left watching this serial after 20 episode as it is the most dragged drama in recent times, it became so boring that even the cinematography and great acting couldnt hold my attention, such a shame .

@Sheema: It is a shame indeed, but dekh lo, its just a few if us that feel this way about DeD. When I read the rave reviews and comments I cannot help but wonder if I/we’ve lost the plot completely, but then I’m reminded of Manto’s Toba Tek Singh and when viewed in that context this disconnect then makes perfect sense …

Yaar SZ, this story was ALL about Faara and Wali and what a mess it has been made of. In every episode, we barely get one or two scenes of theirs and that too so short or poorly shot. Either Faara is sobbing hysterically or Wali is harping (yet again) about Agha jaan ka naashta. It’s a joke really. I am beginning to think that snow scene might have been just for a promo. Hope I’m wrong.

@SZ
Thanks for brilliant, apt, comprehensive review.
You have covered all aspects and I completely agree with you. With bit of sense and sensibility, they could have made this a memorable serial. Still it’s not too bad.
Apna Kheal rakhan.

Thanks, @Farah S. Glad to know we’re all equally upset about the lost opportunities 😦 And from all the promos Ive been watching seems like we are in for a lot worse this fall season. #GreatTimeToStartAlphabetizingKitchenCabinets

SZ, great review.
DB and SZ, enjoyed your comments… Mere dil ki baatein 🙂 Even though I tune in every Tues for this, an hr later I’m sitting disappointed thinking of what could have been..kuch aansoo toh mujhe bhi aajaanay chahiye the ab tak…
So many things wrong with the whole show as you have pointed out. Story ki toh aisee taisee de hi dee thee, baqi kasar editing ne nikal dee. A teenager can edit better than this nowdays.
Last night after watching the show, my younger one commented “Roohi and Arjumand should go fall off a bridge together” (Wali has made a ten yr old turn violent as well!)
For me Abid Ali is the only actor here who’s a delight to watch….he can make a bad script look great.

@Afia: Aww!! Your younger one is such a cutie and she’s got it absolutely right … kiya yaar in do auntiyon ki khit khit khatam hi nahin ho chuk rahi… they really need to get over themselves and realize ab inke bacche barey ho gaye hain and its their lives and their happiness that should come first. Also, its not just them, there is a whole line of characters that need to jump off that bridge with Ruhi and Arju! And there’s more of this to come next week – uff!

Btw, on a more serious note, I wonder if the writer/director/producer/whoever thought of what it does to a young girl’s psyche (no matter how much of twit she may be) when first its her beloved father going around begging people to accept his daughter, then 4/5 years later it is the girl’s mother to go around begging her in laws to accept her daughter as their bahu – and all this in a serial written and produced by a woman and aired on a channel that proudly claims to empower women!!! #FullyFedUp

SZ, any respect for women went out the window (or fell off that bridge) when Wali (the Wrecked) shoved and dragged apni piyari biwi… :p
Momina Duraid, Madam Sultana and Farhat Ishtiaq, Haseeb Hassan are still v happy with the super hit serial they’ve made…

@afia: Arrey bhai, yeh tau un ka khandani problem hai … they all treat their wives roughly and then give them a week or so and everybody is all ok .. sab kuch bhool bhaal kar they are back to square one .. As AJ has sagely advised us all: pichli sab baaton pe mitti pao only remember today 😜

But yeah on a serious note this is seriously problematic, not just the W-F thing but going back to kaali siyah raat. This is troubling not just on the creative end but also on the receptive end (the audiences). The way women have rationalized and accepted all this and we’ve all read things like oh the women deserved it, laaton ke bhoot baaton se nahin maantey, mard ki mardangi aisi hoti hai blah blah, should offer us all food for thought as to the kind of societal setup we are not only living in but also perpetuating, where such behavior is normalized to such an extent that when viewers complain about these issues there are questions raised about their state of mind and they are easily labelled as neo-liberals, liberals, pseudo liberals, feminists and what not …

The reason I am particularly disappointed in DeD is because unlike the other 1001 serials airing concurrently, this one has been continuously marketed as propagating our culture, showcasing family values, highlighting the wisdom of elders and what not. Also the writer is associated with creating strong female characters and has repeatedly reiterated this in her various interviews and comments. Ab us sab ke ba’ad we get this tau what else can we say except khoda pahar nikla chooha

I’ll just jump in this convo and add that the whole kidnapping and haunted guest house sequence was so not needed. I cannot even imagine why FI included it or how MD let it go.

But worse of all has been the audience’s reaction – “jaagirdaar at heart” and what not. Most of the “DeD gushers” as I call them thought that since Agha jaan was dying and Wali was desperate he HAD to “drag Faara out” and “make her see sense”. I wonder if these female viewers cum gushers would like their own husbands to do the same thing to them.

And isn’t it so convenient that Wali recalled his Barey Baba’s words when he saw Faara helpless in front of Moiz but not when he himself dragged her through her house (as she called for her father), scared her with a dog, and locked her up? Or maybe he thought that what he is doing does not count as “takleef” (just because he’s her husband)? The subtle ideas and concepts that this serial has promoted in the name of family values are really, really problematic.

@DB haina! How can we forgive and forget that the drama makers made it their mission to make it crystal clear that Wali was treating his dog far better than Faara?!?!.. Abb Wali Sahab remembers Bare baba ki naseehat..
Honestly this drama is bad so many levels!!!..

@ Afia
I can totally understand your ten-year-old’s frustration with this drama serial. By the way, I love the VM you made. In fact, I think the VMs of this serial are much much more interesting than the drama serial itself…

SZ, I agree with most of the points you have raised in the review. Were have been feeling let down from I think quite early on in this drama – that kaali raat was probably the starting point.

We can easily count those few scenes that were nuanced, where everything came together perfectly. It is also true that the acting has been generally top notch, which has helped with the viewing experience many times.

I disagree with your take on two counts. First, while the director has managed to get good performances out of the actors most of the time (Maya Ali’s crying and dialogue delivery could’ve been better to be honest), I am not happy with his overall vision for this project. That is, if he was allowed to have a vision at all. Maya Ali and OKB have an excellent on-screen chemistry that has remained untapped in this drama until now. Crucial sequences like Wali finding Faara crying alone or Wali-Faara taking a walk together, etc were wasted. Surely it’s a director’s failing?

The second point where I disagree is when you say Roohi or Faara have never really done Arjumand any harm. I think Roohi has been quite rude to her in the aftermath of Behroze’s death. Plus, both Roohi and Faara have been quite rude to people quite close to Arjumand -Agha Jaan and Wali. Roohi may have said choice words about Sohaib too, I can’t remember. So Arjumand has reasons to grudge these two ladies. But this is where the writing lets all the characters down.

For example, I would’ve expected Arjumand to have a good go at Behroze’s, but that scene was a washout! Again, her anger against Sohaib vanished like dew melts in sunshine when Wali was born. So Arjumand’s character is a complete mess. If they did want her character to be alive, I would’ve liked her to have resolved her problems, if not with Agha Jaan, at least with Sohaib and Behroze. Also, the way she dealt with Faara was bizarre. She never had an open conversation with her in all the 3 months she was there. This lady seems to like keeping things to herself and build up resentment against everyone in the world.

Roohi toh is lost cause, nothing more to say. What a wasted opportunity!

The systematic destruction of this play’s characters started with Sohaib. Do the two wives know about Sohaib meeting Behroze clandestinely? If Behroze didn’t let Roohi know about those visits, then did Sohaib ever share that information with Arjumand?

Lots and lots of unanswered questions.

Did Moiz have to be so evil? Do characters have to be starkly black for the haveli people to shine? Agha Jaan, for all the knowledge he is sprouting about mohabbat, letting go etc, has only started on this journey 4 years back!

OKB has been the nicest thing about this play. I do wish I could say the same about Wali, unfortunately his violent actions can’t be easily erased from my memory. So, Wali falls short of expectations, but it is entirely to OKB’s credit that people love this drama Wali.

Mariyam Nafees is good, but hardly got any screen space! We saw more of the Tajammul’s living room furniture than we saw of Zarminey!

Maya Ali is find in parts but as I mentioned above, needs to work on her crying and dialogue delivery. It didn’t help that her character, like almost every other character, was poorly written. I don’t think I saw a real journey there. Also, I expect FI’s heroines to have an inner strength – I can’t see them being dumb or flip-flopping without reason. Her Haniya or Khirad are far from the “bachao, bachao” 70s Bollywood heroines that we see in Faara. I am yet to see a single instance of Faara using her brains.

Abid Ali has given Agha Jaan a lot of charm and made him endearing. Hareem Farooq and Sanam Saeed were totally wasted, as was the whole Tajammul family.

Let’s hope we get some decent scenes for Wali and Faara before they walk into the haveli one last time.

And to this week’s comment, I see where you are coming from and don’t disagree with your points.

Re: Fara and Maya Ali I did note that MA has been good when pushed out of her comfort zone but generally has not impressed. That said, I do think Haseeb has managed to get his actors to act, something that is becoming an increasingly rare commodity if you look at what else is out there. Acc. to industry insiders, Saba Q is arguably one of our finest actresses in the industry, but if you look at her two-three however many serials are airing these days, she’s indistinguishable from one character to another. Similarly with Mikaal who looks and sounds exactly the same in every serial. So if seen in that context I would give credit to HH.

Re: the overall vision, the OTT melodramatic c. 70’s Lollywood hangover, I honestly dont know who’s responsible and so have commented on that but can;t assign blame to one individual without being hundred percent sure, The writer, on the other hand, has happily acknowledged her exciting additions and proudly owned her “masterpiece” so its pretty clear on that front. Also, as a producer MD is typically very closely involved with her productions so she shoulders a lot of the blame as well.

Re: Roohi vs Arju: Yes, maybe Ruhi did mouth off here and there, but seriously Arju’s martyr/victim scene, though sensitively enacted was way off kilter in assigning blame solely on “un maa beti”. But then all of it again boils down to the writing, No matter who the director or the actors they all seriously cannot rise above a poor script, unless they have the free reign to play around with the script as Sarmad and MJ have freely admitted to doing in their serials.

The rest of your points are an apt sunmnary of what we’ve all been complaining about all these weeks, and it is precisely these reasons that put me off reviewing this one, but then AJ’s line this week was just too good to pass on. That whole bit about mitti pao on the past (my interpretation) was brillliant!! I dont think they ever realized how fabulously it summed up so many of our issues with this serial – Arju-Suhaib’s siyah raat, Wali’s behavior w/Fara, Behroze’s threat to divorce Ruhi if she didnt go along with his wishes… list is endless – all very real and troubling issues that needed to seriously addressed but all were easily swept under the rug, forgotten to be never brought up again ..

@VZ Re the director: I agree with you there. I have had my issues with DeD from day dot…shuru se hi woh feels hi nahin aa rahi thin! lol.. Regardless whose vision it was to go filmy, it was executed poorly.. This turned out to be a bad 70s looywood/bollywood -esque drama (complete with all the maar dharr and whatnots!) jo 7 mah baad bhi khatam hone ka naam hi nahin le raha..
Sadqay had a dodgy plot and its own set of issues with the script, magar phir bhi, even though it had the ‘filmy’ feel, overall presentation worked. Yahan tou I felt that everyone seems to have had a free hand – from aate jate accents, to jaisi taisi wardrobes.. I honestly feel that whatever good (performances) we got from the actors here was mostly their own doing, and they deserve full credit for it!.. Director (or atleast his vision) seems ghaib most of the times..

SZ, sorry for the two posts full of typos. I was typing on my phone like a mad person, just wanted to vent so badly!

Re the points i raised, I get where you are coming from…

Given that in a serial that’s about Wali and Faara, they might get 2 episodes (if lucky) of proper screen time, I don’t know if I can go to a consumer court and claim damages for lost time and sanity lol.

Re: assigning blame – forget blame, yahan toh achi khasi party hogi I am sure, after the show ends, a la Zindagi Gulzar Hai. There will be beaming faces, accolades aplenty going around. And plenty of awards come the awards and rewards season. I seriously think either I or a sizeable chunk of the audience in Pakistan/around the world has gone completely crazy, given how my thoughts about this show are so opposite to everyone else’s.

Doesn’t look like anything decent is coming up on TV soon. Saw promos for a Mikaal-Kiran Haq show, one with Ahsan Khan (he, like Adnan Siddiqui, is ubiquitous, lol) and Gul e Rana? Forget the first two, is the last one any good in terms of story/direction? I somehow doubt it, since DeD, with its cast and crew seemed such a good bet and turned out so poor (according to us here of course).

Re: Whats up next … nothing promising. Neelum Kinarey (dir. Adnan Wai Qureshi, of Zid fame, and writer Amna Mufti) starts soon. The USP of this serial is that its set in Kashmir. But then Kashmir also features in another upcoming serial Gul-e Rana (directed by Farooq Rind of Laa fame) and then MZ who seems to be in the running for Adnan S and Ahsan Khan’s crown, is in at least two more serials in addition to however many still running on various channels … so yeah not holding my breath …
The only thing that I am looking fwd to is Sarmad Khoosat’s Mor Mahal, which is written by Sarmed Sehbai sahab. The serial is ready but the last I heard they are waiting on Sarmad for editing, so lets see when that happens.

DB, what about their other masterpiece Alvida? Surely Imran Abbas and Sanam Jung will also get their “fair share”? There’s also Faisal with his Mol… Interesting times for, to borrow SZ’s words here ” Hum aur Humaray awards”.

I remember Digest Writer did much better on the ratings chart than Sadqay yet ST got all the awards… Somehow I get the feeling that DeD is a more “prized” serial for Hum, just like ST was… It is definitely more of a hit with the younger lot. But yes Alvida will be a strong contender with DeD for the hum awards.

@VZ ROFL @ achi khasi party hogi!.. Aray yaar party tou Numm ki bhi hui thi and it made the papers lol.. Remember @SZ!…
Re MZ : Abb he will be on HUm Tv (alone) on three times a week (baqi channels mila kar pata nahin aur kitni baar).. aur zulm tou yeh hai ke working with KH in two of them.. aik mein behen bhai, doosre mein mian biwi..
SQ also on 3 times a week.. The new Zahid guy twice a week..(all on Hum alone) Have we run out of talent/ new faces completely???!!!.. #worrying

I have been on a break from pakistani dramas this year and my life couldn’t have been better!
Unfortunately I couldn’t resist Dayar-e-dil due to the cinematography. Last summer I planned a trip to the gorgeous Khaplu palace which serves as the haveli in this drama but never made it there due to flight cancellations. That was really the only reason i started watching it

This drama is just plain appalling now. Everyone is suddenly dood mein dhoola and Ruhi’s family is the epitome of all evil. and don’t even get me started on Arjumand… she probably still wants Behroz’s D :p

and let me guess. Agha Jan will have yet another fake-heart attack that will convince Arjumand that Wali should remain married to Faraa. Or maybe she’ll die a miserable death like she deserves and annoy Behroz’s ghost.

Finally your review is here …. So glad to read this sane piece elsewhere its all unnecessary tareefon ki boochaar.. Yaar i so agree with everything you said.. Totally spot on.. I only watch DeD to see k aur kitna they will ruin the novella.. Its so messed up specially Arjumand character.. No doubt Hareem was amazing in last scene but that character is literally annoying for me.. Matlab yaar itne saalon k baad bhi she has grudges and vo bhi against whom Ruhi.. What a joke ..it sounds as Ruhi is second wife of Behroze and Arju first wife and that’s why she hates Ruhi.. But hello lady.. Get a grip.. Apne x-lover ko you gave thora sa attitude but then when everyone mentioned Suhaib’s name you agreed.. Happily or not that’s different matter.. Heck even Behroze ne tou ser pe hath bhi rakha tha apne bhabhi samjh ker..even then she thinks its Ruhi and Faara.. Gosh what a terrible thing.. Aala Zarf na bano fine.. But then atleast dont make things worse.. She looks to me another AJ the way he used to be in Pehle..

Then humari Faara.. Mamma apne hamesha galt faisle kyan he ?? What hamesha.. Shouldn’t it be bohat baar.. Ek tou beechari Ruhi ko bukhar hogya Behroze ko soch soch ke and uper se make her feel even more guilty.. I just couldn’t help but recalling how beautifully Faara made Ruhi realized and Ruhi then self analyzed herself in novel rather than spelling out in drama..

Reg: Romantic scenes i think vo sab saath ek-do episodes me aayenge just like ZGH hahah.. I think still 5-6 more episodes.. arju begum will take her time to settle 😉

Rehmat, your comment cracked me up. Just wanted to jump in and say thanks for kindly doing the transliteration of the passages from the novel. I really enjoyed the glimpses into the true Wali. The namaz scene is my favourite.

Re: Farhat Ishtiaq, after reading the passages, I can only wonder how someone can butcher her own story like this and be so proud about how it turned out, just amazes me. Maybe I need a short break in the haveli, then my crazy head will be cured and I’ll come out singing praises of this masterpiece… Any one wants to join me? No?

VZ: I tried, really honestly, to see what was it that I was missing here but sadly no easy answers came my way, despite my constant refrain of [yaar-e mann] aaaaaaaaaaa …. if you get lucky in the haveli (perhaps that’s what I was missing, the ambiance?) then please do come back and share your insights with us na-samajh people!

Uff!!! Dont remind me of Kadoorat! It was so bad ke hadd nahin! Even Sanam was surprised when ppl on twitter told her they loved her in it when Zindagi aired it in India.

And on Zindagi, they are going to air Ashk soon.. I’m dying to know the response to that one, ’cause that was a whole other league of bad .. I actually ended up writing [not]reviews for that one! I’m sure Afia and @Rehmat and @SK remember those crazy crazy convos!

@SZ – @VZ .. Haan i was watching Kadoorat the other day on Hum Europe… N yes it was disaster.. I couldn’t watch for more than 10 mins..

Hahahahah yes SZ ke [not] reviews were just hilariously hilarious… Indeed crazy convos.. Those were times when i didnt watch single episode of Ashk but these guys made Ashk a super enjoyable one.. I will always remember Ashk through those not reviews …

And zindagi is also airing Daam.. Maan i so want to see that again in good quality

Hahahaha @Rehmat, @VZ @SZ you guys r on a roll!!.. I had forgotten how much fun this was!
@VZ insanity cured but you will come back with amnesia lol… Bass remember AJ’s sabaq in mitti paos.. no point in going haveli & haunt yourself of the DeD ghosts?.. lol
I always wanted to go Gilgit Baltistan but abb sochna pare ga! lol

@VZ: hahaha chalo i am so glad… Though I thought i have written something very stupid..😂 But since you always acknowledge so nicely about transliteration.. I will do the Roohi part ss well where she realizes her mistake 😉

Uff FI and her butchering is just terrible…i am now officially done with dramas being made on novels..

@Rehmat: “hello lady.. Get a grip.. Apne x-lover ko you gave thora sa attitude but then when everyone mentioned Suhaib’s name you agreed.. Happily or not that’s different matter.. Heck even Behroze ne tou ser pe hath bhi rakha tha apne bhabhi samjh ker..even then she thinks its Ruhi and Faara.. Gosh what a terrible thing.. Aala Zarf na bano fine.. But then atleast dont make things worse.. She looks to me another AJ the way he used to be in Pehle..” 😂

Too good! The Behroze ne sar par haath bhi rakha line is fab!!

Yaar, you ladies are all so so hilarious! I hadnt realized how much I’d missed reading all your ek se barh kar ek comments, reading you all is so much more fun than watching the episode itself 👍

Rehmat, does Zindagi upload their dramas on their website? Then it might give us a chance to download and watch Daam in better quality… The one I watched , the quality was so poor… I’ve heard Mehreen say even she is waiting for a better video quality version for Daam, as her parents are yet to watch the play!

@Rehmat Thanks for all your efforts! That means so much!!
acha tou when did this happen? I assume unlike the drama Ruhis phone was never snatched away from her and/or she was never house arrest by Tajammuls? Was there all the moiz turning into evil monster and kidnapping fara bit? And no rescue mission from Wali-man to win over Ruhi and become bffs? And was arju as mad and as flip-flopping a character ke behroze ki aik yaad aur jhaag baith gai!?
Like @VZ says somehow this writing seems to have a soul.. Drame mein tou sirf roohon (khas kar behroze ki rooh) ka basera hai…

FA, Ruhi was with her sister in Canada. No house arrest business. I can bet that there were no kidnappings – neither by Wali, nor by Moiz. And I think Arjumand was dead already. Rehmat, DB, can one of you confirm? Thanks.

Yes, there were no kidnappings whatsoever. In the novel Moiz didnt bother Faara after his one and only visit to take her home. Arjumand was long dead before Faara came to the haveli. Roohi had left Faara to go visit her sister in Canada where she refused to talk to Faara even on the phone.

Believe me, the novel was simple and beautiful. And it made a lot of sense, unlike the drama. Suhaib initially discussed the whole “rishta with Faara thing” with his wife (named Amna in the novel not Arjumand). It seems Amna died before Suhaib because when Behroze came to the haveli after Suhaib’s death, Amna wasn’t around. I think it was a sensible move in the drama to have Amna well out of the way and avoid the melodrama that would ensure when Roohi arrived… I think in the drama they could have taken care of this detail by simply doing away with the fact that Arju was Behroze’s childhood fiance. We could have been spared of a LOT of loopholes.

Anyway, also in the novel, there was NO kidnapping at all. Wali phoned Faara when she was alone at the house (her mom had left for Canada). Wali told her he wanted to talk to her about the divorce. And Faara agreed to meet him.

Also in the novel the Tajammuls were not as evil as in the drama. Zohra and Roohi had actually formed an NGO and Roohi asked Faara to cut cheques simply for her NGO and her own lavish lifestyle. Zohra was content on receiving the gifts Agha jaan sent. There was no taking money for business by Tajammul Mamu, Moiz’s huge business plans, or whatever nonsense we’ve seen in the drama. Yes Moiz did tell his phuppo that Faara’s khula demand should include a demand for her share of inheritance but later in the novel Roohi realized that this showed Moiz’s materialistic nature. Roohi in the novel was wayy more intelligent.

Also Faara and Roohi had fought not over the demand for inheritance. It was because Faara had cancelled her ATM cards. When Roohi tried to withdraw money and she couldn’t, she felt humiliated… She and Faara fought and Roohi left for Canada.

Moiz did come to the haveli once but he never pursued Faara or uttered all those ghatiya dialogues like he did in the drama…

@SI @DB thanks for clearing that up. That makes sooo much more sense!!!
Ufff FI really does deserve the hum award for this masterpc … See asaan kam nahin yeh, is ke liye bhi dil gurda chahye.. Hum Award for the most masaledar reinvention aka butchering and then kabab-ing her own pc of writing – FI aap ka hua!!
@VZ ROFL @dyar e disappointment… It def is.. Magar sirf hum jaison ke liye.. We seem to have missed out on the 5d glasses they were dishing out to really understand this masterpc… Sigh!!…
Its such a shame that they missed the boat so many times in this play.. @DB ur so right abt not going down the bachpan ka pyar route and if we did go down this kali raat aur bharpoor zindagi route aur agar Arju ko zinda rakha bhi tou I would have liked to have seen arju learning from her past and helping faara along her journey.. Magar yahan tou khoda pahar nikla chooha.. It was all abt heaps of petty lil grudges, some ilhams and listening to the dead… the only journey these characters made were from haveli to lahore ya phir agli dunya ko.. Honestly what rubbish!!!!
Vent over…

@FA: Yaar, to be honest, I wanted Arjumand to make this decision for her son… not Behroze, not Faara, not even Suhaib… She was a mother, she could see Wali had a soft spot for Faara, so why couldn’t she have relented for his sake alone? Why did she need Roohi’s apology and Behroze’s flashbacks to relent? It’s all so unrealistic…

Re: Arjumand’s flip-flopping character, we’ve seen this happen with her all the time. They’ve never given her any solid role. She will be barking these lofty statements at night, but will change her mind, subah hotay hi. Must be something in the green tea she has at night. May be she is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde character.

I’d been so annoyed with Ded that I had told myself that I was not going to waste any more of my time commenting on this play that’s setting new low standards every week… but @SZ such is the kamal of ur writing ke u got me going again! And after reading all the hilarious comments I remembered how much fun it used to be!

I guess at the time I felt that every week we were getting more frustrated, going round in circles saying the same things over and over again .. but it is fun doing it after a break.. and especially now that u’ve tried to reason with the falsafa aur aaj ka sabaq lol

Absolutely spot on about the Ded methodology! Now that we know the family mantra it actually makes more sense.. lol

We’ve been concerned about the aging issues of this family shuru se.. From baby Wali’s growth issues to greying hair.. abb we know that early onset of alzheimer’s also runs in the family… it must be to do with haveli ka hava paani and ”Behroze ki ‘#yaad”’.. Just look at Roohi who was the elephant who never forgets.. aate saath hi sub kuch bhool gayi.. Arju, Wali, Faara, AJ abb they are all under Behroze’s spell of flashbacks #HumBhoolGayeHarrBaatMagar…

Perhaps Sohaib did make the most of it while behroze was away in Lahore.. Abb dekhein jab se Behroze joined him up in the heavens, everyone seems to have forgotten Sohaib…bechara he must be looking down at the haveli ppl and wondering #KabhiTumBhiHumSeTheAshnaTumhainYaadHoKeNaYaadHo

ROFL @ the mixed messages and constant reminding…this sums up Ded and its filmy ways

Like u said what was the point of raising issues like kali raat and all the mess of the older generation if we were supposed to forget all that and watch it aaj, abhi aur isi waqt ki basis pe??… hum ne tou bhulane ki koshih bhi ki magar woh bhi kisi kaam na aya.. #AapNeYaadDilayaTouYaadAaya..

#AbbkyaYaadDilaDiya …That’s my biggest beef with Ded – they raised very sensitive issues, made a big mess out of it and then brushed it all under the carpet… forced marriages and kaali raat, stereotypes of Pathans, kidnappings, blackmail, aurat ki awaz…. bass #BhoolJao…

For the benefit of future audiences of this play, here are some must-haves for watching DeD:

1. Mega size carpet, to push all sorts of issues underneath.
2. Partial or total memory loss – as AJ says, the tag line of the show is “live the moment”.
3. A mind that has gone numb from watching other plays on air these days. You will compare DeD to those plays and think ” the awesome ness

For the benefit of future audiences of this play, here are some must-haves for watching DeD:

1. Mega size carpet, to push all sorts of issues underneath.
2. Partial or total memory loss – as AJ says, the tag line of the show is “live the moment”.
3. A mind that has gone numb from watching other plays on air these days. You will compare DeD to those plays and marvel at ” the awesome ness” and not think “what an awful mess”.
4. Little or no Urdu knowledge – that way, you will be spared the agony of the repetitive dialogues. Even if you know Urdu, I suggest you watch it on mute. It’s more fun that way, trust me.
5. A big supply of towels/tissues. You will need them big time for watching this emotional saga, filled as it is with heart-wrenching stuff…even if you are a patthar dil person, believe you me, the tears will come – out of sadness, joy, or the sheer stupidity that drives you to watch this. You WILL cry. And you will need tissues.
Now, our generous hostess SZ, will gladly give you some, but hey, someone in greater need took them away from her, as early as episode 8 or 9.
6. If you are one of those who looks for unimportant things like logic in a drama, then please, spare yourself the trouble and go back to the pre-humsafar era, when such plays were made and watched in abundance.
7. If you are one of those fighting for women’s rights, equality and the like, you’ll love this play! It’s all about empowered women and how strong they can be – the ladies on DeD live in a traditional set up, but have their own minds and don’t hesitate to use them. It’s just that their definition of empowerment, strength etc are different from yours. Fikar not. You will get used to their ways within just a few episodes, then nothing will stop you from enjoying this strong, female oriented play. You just need an open mind. Or no mind. Or a conditioned mind (see point 3 above).
8. An urge to learn and appreciate new things like: what are the qualities of a ghairatmand mard, top tips for wooing your husband and his family, how to emotionally blackmail your near and dear ones, how to eavesdrop efficiently, how to age with grace, etc.
9. Patience. Plenty of it. You see, a saga of this dimension and this quality takes time to unfold.
10. Love for food, especially nashta. It’s the most important meal of this play. You must have heard of kitchen politics? Here you will learn about nashta politics: who made nashta for whom? Jam on toast or anda paratha? Room service or in dining hall? Sab ke saath ya phir candle light nashta with your beau? Keen to know more? Watch DeD to know it all…

@VZ hahahaha That was fantastic!!!! I an literally laughing out loud! Now these are real gems – MD should use these as promotional material…
chalo here are couple of additions to ur invaluable list
– Ded teaches everything life and death! With all the visits to the hospitals, koi bhi poora doctor nahin tou neem hakeem tou bann hi jai ga! A must-watch for medical students – Learn how to go about getting your degree without studying at all! Nutritionist will get special tips on special diets for chronic heart patients (just out of hospital – fried fish is such an original!) – and the least one with go away with is lots & lots of nursing tips especially how to tuck someone in bed… And if God Forbid someone dies plenty of tips of how to cope with the loss.. including how to retain the connection after death!
– Plenty of tips for those who are prone to kidnapping. Never forget your phone at home! Do not try and escape through a bathroom window that looks smaller than your head. YOU WILL GET STUCK!!!!!… In case you do get stuck, simply call your kidnapper for help!

@FA , @VZ: hahahahhah you guys are amazingly hilarious yaar.. I so love your creative idea to crack us even in most disastrous dramas 😂😂 i loved that point: love for nashta.. Omg that was just beautiful 😄😄… And the do not try and escape through a bathroom window.. N calling kidnapper for help.. Spot on 👏

SZ, sab keh dia aap ne and thank you for that. Someone needs to say things as they are and you did that for all of us here. Hats off to you for picking it apart like you did to write this review, warna tou we all know this serial is totally undeserving of it.

Virtually every main character in this madhouse of a serial has spouted their own philosophy of life, through words and/or actions, only to contradict it some episodes later. And clearly, we are all expected to forget it as well but we don’t and so all blame must be laid on our good memories for noticing the obvious.

Aaj kal tou we have Arju, who has taken up the mantle left lying around by some desi saas of the olden days so she can fulfill all of Farhat Ishtiaq’s dreams – the one in which DeD ‘successfully’ makes use of every filmi 70s era bollywood family-drama trope. These come to mind:

Coming back to Arju, it is clear she did not get over the fact that she was jilted, nor over the time of her life when she was completely helpless and had no control over her own fate. So yeah, now she has to hate Ruhi, who actually did try to do something, however good/bad, and ended up being labeled as the sole villain for it. To understand where Fara/Ruhi are coming from is too much of an uphill task for Arju. Alas, now I think of her as a ne’er-do-well who can only hate on other people, for real and imagined slights, because it is so much easier. Ek baat jo maine sochi – at least Ruhi had the guts to come at everyone she hated with all guns blazing, which is another kind of foolish behaviour, but still is levels better than being the passive-aggressive Arju – who nurtures multiple grudges but still retains the title of the good, obedient bahu (thinking of what you said about her not going to AJ directly). All she does is misdirect her rage towards people who had no direct hand in the very many tragedies of her life. Stuck in the past, she is.

I do wonder how this saga will conclude. Now that Ruhi is ‘treated’ of her ‘bad-woman’ ways, and Fara is under control, what’s going to be made of Arju, if anything at all? Chances are, her problem(s) go unidentified and hence, uncured in the now-familiar pitti pao-ing ways of DeD. So sad to know k inka marz la-ilaaj aur dard la-dawa he rahe ga…tch tch.

You know, I have come to the point that I only take note of the horrid story of DeD and not of any of the actors’ acting anymore – but you, you have got the magical skill of still taking note of good acting in this horrible script. Now that’s a super power. Please do add another feather in your cap for this 😉

Thanks guys loved reading everyone’s comments. Thanks SZ for this fresh review of DeD, I understand why you gave up. Yes I expect DeD to receive many awards come award season. As I said on my other post HUM and the author are already congratulating themselves for ‘a job well done’ . You know what I would love to do with this drama if I had the technical know how (alas I don’t). Is to take some scenes and do a voiceover using some of these comments.
There is absolutely nothing else upcoming Pakistani drama scene worth watching. Thankfully StarPlus in the UK is showing Mera Naam Yusuf Hai, so that’s us taken care off for the next 20 weeks. And once we sort the technical side of connecting the laptop to the T will make a start on Perchaan and Talkiyaan (can’t enjoy on the laptop).

By the way I am binge watching Bashar Momin. Have not made up my mind yet. Trying to work out if it fits into the category that it’s so bad it’s actually good. So far it’s amusing me with its silliness.

This story had so much potential to be a great drama but a slow script and added filminess (like the multiple kidnapping story lines) ruined it. For the last 3 episodes, this show has lost its charm. It’s supposed to be about Wali and Farah’s story but for the past 3 episodes they have barely interacted with each other. Every time they talk its always Farah asking him something meekly and him barking back at her and emphasizing how they have no relationship (like when he says you don’t need to tell me why u went with Moiz etc) It’s tiring to watch. I want them to hash it out already and confess their feelings. The build up to Farah falling in love with Agha Jaan and all the people in the haveli was done well but this story line of her and Wali has been stretched way to much. Now it’s been stretched even more by having Arjumand throw a random hissi fit. It seems that she is still not over the fact that Behroze chose Ruhi over her. It was years ago and you’ve had a good life since then so get over it!! Maybe she’s jealous that Ruhi has had some control over her life whereas she hasn’t.

And so far Wali has been shown as some sort of amazing son but I feel he’s not that great of a husband since he’s so moody and pushy. I’m glad that people have brought up how wrong the scene was when they showed Wali manhandling Farah when he brought her to the haveli. On other forums, people are gaga over this show and they think what he did was justified. I thought that when he showed up to her house he would be surprised to see her living in a mess with her mother gone. Farah was clearly depressed at that time since she had fought with her mother and her mother had left her after years of emotionally blackmailing her. She had stopped eating as well. I thought Wali would notice something is wrong and ask her what’s wrong and then tell her he needed to talk to her in a nice way. I am sure she would have listened since she felt so alone at that time. He could have then brought her to the haveli after telling her about the contract, not kidnap her the way he did! And then he manhandled her again in another scene where she was by the lake and he forced her to go back to the house. But it’s all okay to viewers cuz he secretly loves her and saves her from her super evil cousin Moez. What use is this kind of rough love that makes you feel worthless, guilty and unwanted.

And the Moez track is just another issue entirely. A kid who has grown up around his phuppo since he was a child cannot hate her that much that he is ready to rape her daughter ie his cousin! The writers went totally overboard with that. And I think its unfair to say that “Ruhi ne ghalat logon bhe bharosa kia” or whatever because who does not trust their own brother!! especially over your father in law who you barley know and the time you tried to reconcile with him he insulted you and your family and made it very clear that he hated you. Everyone is acting like Ruhi was an idiot for trusting her brother over strangers but she was just unlucky that she had such a horrible brother.

Also as a side note, I miss the fiesty Farah that was present in previous episodes. The Farah now has become a crying mess and it’s sad to see. When she was trying to escape from Moez she ran into a wall and then tripped on her own legs after taking two steps. It was pathetic.

Moiz’s character has been badly written. Its as if the writers thought it would be clever to completely hide his intentions and then surprise us. Instead they have created a schizophrenic character that makes no sense. I agree someone who has been raised with love around his phupo since he was born couldn’t just hate her in a second. Okay people do bad things for money but everyone stops for second before betraying a close family member but Moiz showed no hesitation. I remember Moiz’s face when Roohi told him over the phone that Fara had just had her Nikah with Wali, he looked devastated. Better writers would have given some subtle hints right from the beginning to lay the ground for the audience accepting Moiz as the villain. Instead the writers relied heavily ton the WaFa factor. Moiz was a kebab me hadi, he was bad because he wasn’t Wali or perhaps OKB.

But you know this is not as bad as Arjumand’s flip flop character. Remember one minute she hates Suhaib and then as she is about to give birth decides he is not so bad after all…okay so he only consummated their marriage after he was told do so by Agha Jaan. I mean its not going to do much for a woman’s self-confidence that your husband can only get himself to consummate your marriage because daddy told him to so, not because he wanted to. Everyone is going on about how wonderful Agha Jaan is and how forgiving. He admits his mistakes regarding Ruhi but what about forcing a crying Arjumand to marry Suhaib. And what about when in the 1st or 2nd episode when Suhaib said he couldn’t marry Arjumand because she was like a sister to him. Agha Jaan replied ‘Arjumand was a pretty girl and feelings will change over-time..’ I thought this was a pretty sick statement regarding two people who had always considered each other as brother-sister.

Everyone goes on about how eventually Suhaib and Arjumand had a good marriage and loved each other. Suhaib may have done so, only because he had only known Laila for two minutes but Arjumand had loved Behroz most of her life. Your first love is always your first love. It would have been too much for our dramas to explore this angle, how much was Arjumand’s love for Suhaib was a gradual acceptance of the circumstances and how much deep down she still felt both love and hate for Behroz. There I am told 3 more episodes to go and some of it will be devoted to what many are calling Arjumand’s ‘hissy fit’. I am not holding my breath though…that the drama will explore this angle. There will just be more character flip-floping.

By the way Wali is his father’s son. My interpretation of Suhaib and Arjumand is that Suhaib used his authority as the husband to get Arjumand to come to his room and Arjumand who has been bought up to obey meekly came even though she did not want go through with it. Fara has not been bought up to obey, so Wali used force and kidnapped her.

your comments about Arjumand are insightful. I had forgotten all the stuff that had happened in the early days of her marriage to Suhaib. Agha Jaan has wronged her as well as Ruhi but he hasn’t asked her for forgiveness because he doesn’t even think he’s done anything wrong to her.

@VZ – @FA: ok here is the half of the transliterated part of what roohi thought after faara’s call.. since @DB have explained you guys so beautifully i think you both will enjoy reading more.. n sorry in advance for my typos.. 🙂

But this is where I differ in my point of view. Behroze fell in love. As simple as that. To call it nafarmani and associate all kinds of guilt to an emotion as basic and as normal as love, feels harsh, doesn’t it? I have read other reviews calling him selfish, but I think he wasn’t. People do fall in love and to hold a bachpan ki mangni as a tool to force someone into a marriage is not right.

This kind of judging someone for getting married against parents’ wishes is simply unfair. In the drama toh they’ve taken this so many notches higher with their masala tarkas lol. Roohi was saying sorry for snatching Behroze? Excuse me, why? Why this judgement that Roohi and Behroze were always wrong?

You are right you can’t punish someone for simply falling in love. And just viewing it like that then Behroz and Roohi did nothing wrong. But I don’t think its such a black and white issue.

The issue is that Behroz never had a problem with the bachpan ki magni before. I think Suhaib says this to Behroz in the first episode when Behroz tells him about Roohi. The scenes they showed from Suhaib’s, Behroz’s and Arjumand’s childhood to me illustrated how they all got on and were comfortable with each other.

Behroz was doing an MBA when he met Roohi meaning he must have been in his early 20s. Had Agha Jan decided to have the Nikah ceremony a year early before Behroz met Roohi, would any of this have happened? What would we have felt about a Behroz who had a Nikah ceremony with Arjumand, was legally married to her, then going off to university and THEN falling in love with Roohi. Some people thought it bad taste when Moiz proposed to Farah when she was still ‘married’ to Wali. Or do we have different standards for men and women in these circumstances? The fact is that from the family tradition Behroz came having a magni or engagement arranged by the family is only heartbeat away from actually being married. Therefore Behroz was not ‘free’ to fall in love and he was therefore according to some interpretations being unfaithful. Would Behroz have placed more restrictions on himself if he had Nikah with Arjumand rather than a magni?

While saying all this I will go back to the point you made VZ, you can’t help who you fall in love. But in a conservative society engagements arranged by the family are serious business. So the whole situation is complicated. But out of all this Roohi is not to blame.

Also remember when in the first episode when Behroz tells Suhaib about Roohi, Suhaib asks ‘Arjumand ka kya hoga?’ Behroz simply replies, she is pretty and from a good family, she will get a good rishta.

(Technically Behroz is right but then drama ke 32 episodes nahe hoti if things were that straightforward).

There is no acknowledgement from Behroz at this point that he is about to break Arjumand’s heart. He knows she is crazy about him, especially by the way she greeted him. Yes marry Roohi, you love her but at least acknowledge that you are going to hurt Arjumand. It’s all me me me and my life. Arjumand does not even register on his radar. Also she is also your cousin, in that relationship acknowledge her feelings.

Even when he goes back to the haveli about 18 years later, it’s about disobeying (narfarmani) Agha Jan and also about hurting Suhaib. What about Arjumand?

Roohi got an apology from Agha Jan, Farah got an apology, even Suhaib got an apology from Agha Jan for making him take on the burden of the family business so young but Arjumand gets no apology.

This is why I think there was something selfish about Behroz. It’s either that or it’s the way the producers in this drama have shown Arjumand’s character, someone who can be used and abused when the storyline requires but is then expected to be a farishta because all we care about is WaFa.

The women in this drama have been badly written.

Roohi = needy airhead
Arjumand = a walkover, only speaks to ease her path to sainthood
Farah = boring, frankly I don’t give damn what happens to her after 31 episodes don’t really care if she gets it together with Wali or not, just want it to end.

NKhan, really enjoyed reading your take on this issue. I think in one of the earlier discussions I had with Rehmat (one of the initial episodes), I had mentioned how Behroze could never handle more than one set of relationships at a time. He could never take people along with him. If he made up with Agha Jaan, he left Roohi behind. When he got married to Roohi, he left the haveli people behind. This is his big fault. He expected Roohi to magically understand that Agha Jaan was a changed soul after Sohaib’s death. He expected Agha Jaan to understand and forgive Roohi and accept her for what she was when he married her. He expected Faara to trust his judgement and accept Wali. At no point has he ever tried to put himself in the other person’s shoes, understand their views, fears, etc and talk to them convincingly and tactfully. He always leaves a mess behind for someone else to clean up, it’s been Sohaib, Arjumand, now Wali.

In my view, falling in love with Roohi was not really the problem. How he handled that messy situation was. The situation was very unfair to Arjumand and she was wronged by every single person around her that day. That’s why I was (and we were all I think) hoping for some fireworks when Arjumand meet Behroze after all those years. But the writing in that scene was so flat!

It’s a different matter that Arjumand is such a poorly written character. She has all these pent up anger (rightful anger), but against whom? She mended her relationship with Sohaib in a flash, bhai kaise? She has quietly followed Agha Jaan’s diktats all her life. Surely he owes her an apology for forcing sohaib’s rishta on her? But as she herself said it, she is not a farishta, she takes out her anger on all the wrong people. She flips like she is bipolar, all her loud daavas and elaans are of no importance.

You know, there’s a lot to these characters and each has their faults, but the drama is so badly written that not one character gets their due. Not even Wali was spared, Arjumand toh door ki baat Hai. We are trying to analyse these things but the writer didn’t ever intend for us to think.

You are right VZ. Somewhere the writer or producer is sitting their scratching their heads reading our comments (we can wish) and thinking whats wrong with these people, itna deep mutlab kyu sochte hai. Well I for one, despite complaining about weak female characters, should listen to my husband more. He always says when it comes to these dramas ‘itna mat socho per kise cheez ke sumaj nehe aygi. Although even he had a few amusing comments about Arjumand Flip Flop Khan.

This Roohi seems to have her thinking power intact, lol. She can think logically and self-analyse the problem. Drama Roohi has been reduced to someone incapable of doing anything useful. What a shame, because Sanam Saeed is capable of so much more!

The way Arjumand’s and Roohi’s characters have been destroyed, just feel bad for the actors and us viewers. I think we should have a Hum award for most butchered character, lol. Every major character from Wali, Faara to Arjumand, Roohi, Behroze, Moiz, all will be in the reckoning.

@VZ: yaar actually thanks to you for reading these long passages with so much typos.. I just couldn’t do proof reading LOL…

I think you have a point regarding Behroze… But what I thought since he couldn’t gather strength or rather his ego never allowed him to go and apologise to Aj he couldn’t forgive himself for that.. Because he didn’t do anything wrong the way he did that was wrong and he always had that guilt that he made his father unhappy..

Exactly that what really surprises me why Roohi have to say sorry to Arju of all the things..make no sense at all… Mujhe tou even character ka purpose hie samajh nhn aaya…a dummy character to be honest bachon ki umar hogayi shaadi ki n she still remember Behroze and his last meeting with her … My goodness sheer stupidity…

Baqi see there was no any insult of Roohi by AJ in any first meeting like we saw in drama… She from scratch was jealous..

I enjoyed your Daastan e Disappointment… Hahahahah too good… This is just apt description of this drama..👏 True on getting most butchered characters.. 😂 Rather Hum tv will just make this as big as they can 😕

Social media is going gaga over this play. We will be getting lots of clones soon…full of traditional values, family oriented and supporting women’s empowerment. As a bonus, picturesque locales. How about that?

You said it all… Well, almost all! Why do people forget/overlook/condone Arjuman’s pregnancy scenes. It seemed to me like she clearly was accusing the-dood-ka-dhula-Sohaib of marital rape and impregnating her without her consent. I cringe at how such shows send out the absolute wrong messages to the masses (no-surprise, such are the shows loved by the masses… Sigh!), when clearly our sub-continent is badly in need of the exact opposite. I am Indian, a Hindu Indian girl, and although I thank God that Indian society is gradually raising towards being more progressive, it’s a shame that till date we don’t have a law addressing marital rape. With dumb people around who think marital-rape is an oxymoron, such (Diyar e Dil) are the portrayals which ‘normalize’ such crimes in their heads.

Thank God for voices such as yours SZ, I am back to thinking some sense still prevails in our societies. You sure should read the comments on the Youtube videos of these episodes. OMG I was appalled! Sohaib being glorified for being just a mere puppet at the hands of an emotional-blackmailer, and not even being able to exercise his basic human right of choosing his own life-partner. And then the implied marital-rape incident! Not just this, if he really did care so much about his brother, after having complied with Agha Jaan’s silly command of marrying Arjuman, he could have atleast stood up for his brother and bhabhi when they were being insulted and disowned by his father. He had already pleased AJ with his big “sacrifice”, then why did he not have the spine to atleast speak against the wrong-doings of AJ towards Ruhi & Behroz.

Don’t you think the way AJ commanded his sons (like they were his possessions) on such major decisions regarding their adult lives, and the way Sohaib submissively “sacrificed & obeyed” even to the extent of marrying and sleeping with a woman who was once his bhabhi, and who still loved and obsessed over his brother… these are the ways of a very dysfunctional family? Behroz was the only normal one who did a normal thing by marrying the girl of his choice, and not betraying her!

But but but alas… the show and the audience scream that this one and only normalcy displayed by a member of that luny family, was his selfishness! To the point that eventually after years that guy himself turns dysfunctional totally and regrets & looms with guilt over his virtuous deeds like they were some sort of sins he committed. What a pity! Behroz is criticized by everyone (including himself) for manning up and standing by his lady, and working so hard and making a life for himself and building a beautiful, happy, normal fictional home with his wife and daughter. All that was “selfishness”. But, he is glorified and celebrated for losing his sanity in the end, hiding things from his wife, dictating terms on his wife and daughter, forcing his child into an unwanted marriage by emotionally blackmailing her, giving more importance to his father (who had wronged Behroz, Ruhi and Farah by not only insulting Ruhi, but also by depriving them of their rightful share of money and property for so many years) & Sohaib’s family much more than his loyal wife of 20 years, accusing Ruhi of failing him after she had accepted him as an empty-handed man and nurtured him and his child dedicatedly for 20 years…. Seriously? Are people so blinded?

Ruhi’s character has been wasted in such a spiteful manner… as you have pointed out in many of your posts. What a pity! She was one woman of substance who had the integrity to not fear her brother & abandon the man who had left everything for her. She had the courage to start from scratch with her man and give in her best in making a happy home for themselves. Not once did she crib about them losing out on Behroz’s rightful share of wealth. She was a progressive thinking lady who told her daughter to be happy about getting an education instead of being forced into arranged marriages at an early age. Kuch toh substance aur dimaag hoga Ruhi me, ki woh yeh sab kar paayi thi! But such a such a pity… the writer could just not take forward the strengths he has given her in all those years of the story. Many many comments on youtube read, “Agha Jan ne sahi bola tha ke Ruhi ghatiya khandan ki ladki hai. Isiliye kehte hai badon ke faisle hamesha sahi hote hai bachchon ke liye”…. What the what!?!? This message is not the one to be sent out to societies which are battling crimes such as honor killings and forced marriages!!

Towards the end of the show, with all the airs she displays… I really wonder what is Arjuman so proud of?? And what’s with taking out her frustration of Ruhi and her child??? In one scene Arjuman was clearly saying (in her mind) to dead Sohaib that she will have to tolerate the woman (Ruhi) she hates the most in her life… and this was even before she met Ruhi personally ever!! This woman with all her insecurities and in-capabilities (to even stand up for herself), is being hailed… OK, for what??

Don’t even get me started on Wali!! **rolling my eyes** A ghamandi feudal lord who wants to possess the girl even against her wish, who openly threats people with the weapons he caries in a civil society, who is so BILDED by “family values” (read his family’s shenanigans) that the poor boy has developed a totally skewed understanding of rights and wrongs, who proudly uses violence to “tame his woman”, who has no mind/personality of his own, and who is a mere copy cat blindly mimicking the other men of his family! Having said that, I so totally admire the actor Osman Butt for actually talking AGAINST the character Wali, despite Wali being hero-worshiped by the masses! Osman is clearly the hero for doing that! 🙂

Farah was one character I just didn’t understand, neither did I care to try…. well, she was just there… That’s it! Apart from studying Medical, she really didn’t do much!

Mois was so nice… even since his childhood…. but in an attempt to make only the feudal family the torch bearers of righteousness and portraying the rest of the world as impure & corrupt, the writer assassinated the character of Mois.

Why did I watch the serial?? Honestly, it was hard for me to complete it… I watched it on Youtube and so I could get the relief of watching only the promos of the last ten episodes. I started watching it because I love love love the humane realism in the writing of Pakistani plays! I have watched plenty of Pak serials and despite disagreeing with certain women’s issues in a few serials, I mostly enjoyed and admired the art in the writing, acting and direction in your dramas. i even love the urdu in those serials. I started watching this serial for the same reasons, but continued for an entirely different reason… I somehow wanted to see to what extent can this drama go wrong in setting the worst examples for societies such as ours…. and trust me, it did surpass my expectations!

I read many comments and articles written about this serial (that’s how I stumbled upon your blog, which I loved 🙂 and I will explore more of it), only because I really got curious on how people perceived this atrocious depiction. Many articles and comments PROUDLY said that this was a real real and true depiction of tribal families of Pakistan. If this is what happens in those families, then I am sure it’s not a matter of pride… on the contrary, it’s something to be looked down upon. Don’t get me wrong. There are feudal-minded families in India too that have such crooked value system… they might even indulge in worse practices. Our societies are not very different (but not absolutely the same either)… one common evil being the patriarchal, misogynist mindset prevalent in both our societies. But, I am glad India is gradually progressing quite a bit, though there is still a long way to go. Diya-e-Dil and other such foolish presentations (including many Indian serials) are bad news for us….. bigtime!

Okay… I have said a lot!! Shukriya for reading all of it, in case you actually did! 😛 🙂

Thanks Rehmat! After getting shockingly appalled by all the sick attention this drama is getting out there, I feel people like all of us here are the only reason for hope and faith left in our societies. We are a very small minority of sane, balanced women… aur agar humare societies ka kuch bhi bhalaa hoga then it will only be because of how women like us will bring up our kids, particularly our BOYS! Varna inn logon ka kuch nehi ho sakta hai…. we are a very small minority, you know… and we deserve something bigger than the Nobel Prize, as it will be us who will truly save (how much ever can be saved of) our civilization. These may sound like strong words for such a trivial topic (a drama), but think about it and hopefully it will make sense as a simple fact.

Another interesting fact I noticed, you know… Progressive, sensible women of our countries, are the best examples (probably the only perfect example) of India-Pakistan actually being culturally and sensibilities-wise extremely similar. A progressive woman from India is exactly the same as a progressive woman from Pakistan… they will think, behave and act exactly the same way… perform their roles within the families and outside the homes, in exactly the same way… are the same kind of mothers… are the same kind of college girls… are the same kind of working women… are actually the exactly the same kind of humans. Tell me what other positive aspect of these two countries can overlap so befittingly? I would love to visit Pakistan some day! 🙂